Do Your Football Gloves Fit Properly?

Football players have a variety of different uses for football gloves. Defensive players like linemen generally like the protection they provide, so they go for bulkier gloves. Ball handlers like wide receivers and quarterbacks benefit from the grip-enhancing properties of certain pairs of gloves. Football gloves can be used to protect from the weather also. A pair of thick leather gloves does wonders for keeping your hands warm in cold temperatures.

Have you recently bought a pair of football gloves and they just don’t seem to feel right? To get the maximum benefit out of your football gloves, you want to have the right fit. Gloves that are too loose will tend to slide on your hand, which nullifies any sort of grip enhancement and can cause fumbles or, even worse, injuries.

Having the right size is just as important as finding the right pair of football gloves for you. If you purchased your gloves years ago and they don’t fit properly anymore, chances are you may have outgrown them. If you’re looking to make the most out of your gear, you cannot afford to miss out on these tips for finding the right fit.

Where to Start

A good place to start is with some measurements. To find the correct size for you, measure from the bottom of the palm to the tip of your middle finger. If your measurement is under 7 inches, you may want to go for the youth football gloves. The youth football gloves come in small, medium and large. They range from 6.25 to 7 inches.

The standard football gloves come in 6 different sizes–small, medium, large, x-large, xx-large and xxx-large. The adult sizes start at 7 inches and go up to 8.5 inches. Be sure to get an accurate measurement before making your purchase. If you have thinner fingers, you may want to go a size down for a snug fit. If your fingers are thicker, you may need to size up.

Make sure to try them on if you can. If you are on the borderline in between two different sizes, you may want to go for the larger glove. After throwing your gloves in the wash, they may shrink depending on the temperature of the wash and the materials they were designed with. The larger size may fit well after a few washes, while the smaller size may become unusable.

If you have the right fit but you cannot find the right design, you may want to consider custom football gloves. If you want to kick some butt out on the field and look good doing it, then custom football gloves are the way to go.

Snug is Good, Tight is Bad

Tight football gloves can restrict blood flow and cause your hands to go numb. Try catching a pass or a pitch with numb hands. It won’t happen. Aside from the performance aspect, tight gloves can even cause permanent damage. Poor circulation leads to ischemia, which can cause tissue damage. If your hands feel numb, cold or you have trouble moving them after wearing your football gloves for an extended period of time, you may be experiencing acute limb ischemia. Avoid the trouble and potential damage to your hands by getting the right fit for you. If you cannot make a fist while wearing the glove, you most likely cannot grip the ball either and it is too small for you.

Loose Gloves Simply Don’t Help

As alluded to earlier, loose football gloves slide too much. A ball-handling player wants to aim for gloves that help him grip the ball. If the gloves are sliding back and forth on the player’s hand, they will never have a firm grasp on it. A wide receiver who depends on his gloves for grip-enhancement cannot risk wearing gloves that are too large. The gloves can slide around, causing a player to bobble the football and miss a pass. Don’t be the guy who loses the game for his team because of an equipment malfunction.

Defensive players have to consider the protective aspects of football gloves. A lineman who collides with the opposing side wants plenty of wrist support to help him brace for impact. If a glove slips and allows the wrist to hyperextend, the player is looking at a potential sprained wrist and weeks out of play. Wearing gloves that are too large is just as bad as wearing tight ones.

Once you find the right-fitting glove, the rest is history. The right pair gloves will give you the grip enhancement, protection or warmth you are looking for. Do your research, get the right gloves and the difference in your game will be night and day.

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About the Author

Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.
Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.
Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, which is a media partner with USA TODAY High School Sports.